Review

Snow Patrol have actually been around since 1997 and despite popular belief Final Straw is their third album. However, their previous two efforts went largely unnoticed by the majority of the British population and it took a change of label and producer plus the adding of another guitarist to catapult Snow Patrol into the public arena. With their melancholy anthem Run storming all rock & indie radio stations and TV in Britain this year, Snow Patrol found themselves being thrown onto the same bandwagon as bands like Keane, Franz Ferdinand, Scissor Sisters and so on. The band had found their niche and soon this album was flying into the charts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitting Games

Lonely written words for company
Just raise the roof this once and follow me

From a cursory glance, Snow Patrol could well appear to be merely another generic Britrock band, only following in the footsteps of the likes of Coldplay and Travis and having nothing to contribute to the genre.

You’d be wrong.

Like them or not, Snow Patrol have produced an album that is a fitting fulfillment of their years of struggle, and it’s set to inspire new bands for a few years yet. The writing is sophisticated, the lyrics imaginative, the instrument playing heartfelt and the singing superb.

That having been said, it’s by no means a perfect album. Not enough thought has been put into every track and the band can become lazy and neglect to inject enough variety into every song they’ve recorded. One almost wonders if they should put more effort into fewer tracks. But watch out, because some of these songs will catch you completely unawares and as in danger of blowing you away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lightbody

I never write about the nice bits where the relationship starts, it’s always about when the chaos kicks in at the end

Thankfully, despite a very real potential for repetitiveness and dullness on this album, the band have managed to have a very distinctive set of songs. There’s the spikiness and energy of Spitting Games the melancholy of How To Be Dead, the contemplativeness of Chocolate and the brooding anger of Ways & Means, ensuring that every one of the best tracks on here has something distinctive and slightly magical about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ways & Means

Breathing fire was never this much fun
So there’s a dark side in us all

So what has this album got to offer? Well, if you want a haunting, heart-rending love ballad then you have Run. A ridiculously catchy set of notes designed to stick in your head for days can be found in Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking. Spitting Games is a great song to walk to or simply to dance around to. Sad yet comforting songs are everywhere, check out How To Be Dead, Grazed Knees and Same.

No song on this album is without some virtue. There’s always a fantastic hook, some great lyrics, a well-done chorus or some beautiful, rippling guitar to save the song from complete nothingness. Sometimes, we are privileged enough to experience all of them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chocolate

Just because I'm sorry doesn't mean
I didn't enjoy it at the time

If you’ve ever enjoyed the softer side of the rock then you may well like this album, as it is one of the finest recent examples of it. It swoops and soars through your speakers and every now and then shows glimpses of genius, which we can only hope will come out fully in future albums. Snow Patrol might just be on their way to greatness, so why not join them for the ride?

I’m not going to make the polarising comparison to Coldplay, it’s predictable and also inaccurate. There’s certainly no one blatant band that Snow Patrol are merely inferior versions of, although you can hear many influences in their music. Surely it’s far better to enjoy them in their own way than trying to place the original song that inspired every line.

Quote:

Originally Posted by How To Be Dead

You've not heard a single word I have said
Oh my God

Recommended Downloads
How To Be Dead
Spitting Games
Chocolate
Run
Grazed Knees
Ways & Means

For its genre this album could get a 4.7/5 from me, however, considering it outside its style I’m going to reduce that to 4.3/5

I'll give them just a tiny bit of credit and say their songs are obviously catchy. The lyrics, however, are the worst pseudo-emo tripe I've ever heard, even worse than the fake emo bands America is instilling right now. Awful high school poetry, and they should be knocked down quite a few notches for it.

You missed one of the best tracks off of the album!
The first time I heard 'Somewhere a Clock Is Ticking', I shrugged it off; but, it's one of those sleeper songs. You think it's no good, but out of the blue, it strangles you with this underlying greatness. Have another listen or two. You might be surprised.

Somewhere a clock is ticking....yep. Good one. I just pick this one up. (stole it from the wife actually) This is more punk/pop than my normal tastes but it does have a certain something. I give it a month and see if it still holds any interest. You know how pop/semi pop stuff is.